Motherhood
by oreocookiepup101
Summary: Bella Swan has recently become a mother when she adopted her teenaged brother's six year old daughter. Though she has things under control, what will her relationship with Melanie be like? And who is Melanie's teacher who keeps helping out? Please R&R BxE
1. The Swan Family Drama

**Please let me know what you all think! I'm very excited about this story and I hope you all are too! **

**Chapter 1:**

Isabella Swan ran a hand absently through her tangle of hair, thinking over the past year and what had brought her here. She was barely twenty-four years old, just two years out of college and already she had a kid to take care of and a large house in a suburban neighborhood in New Jersey. It was so hard to believe that once upon a time she had been a young girl fresh out of college, dreaming of a career in a publishing house.

She had gotten a job as an editor at a prestigious publisher in New York and that set the stones in motion. The story was pretty simple. Her brother Emmett was a sophomore in high school, she was a senior in high school, and he got his long-term girlfriend, Rosalie Hale pregnant. Things went pretty quickly from there. Rosalie didn't want to abort the baby, but she didn't want to keep it either. So Bella, acting only on a strong motherly instinct, negotiated with both sets of parents. The deal was simple: Rosalie's parents would raise the baby for the approximate six years that it would take Bella to finish school and to get a job that paid enough to raise the baby. Bella would adopt the baby and receive the naming rites the day it was born, but Mr. and Mrs. Hale would be its guardians up until Bella was able to support a family. Bella, being a naïve and romantic young girl, couldn't think of a better situation and she immediately began to pore over the baby books searching for the perfect name. She would never remember where it came from, but the baby (who Rosalie found out was a girl) was named Melanie.

And now Melanie was Bella's responsibility. She had been for the past few months, but school only seemed to make a hectic schedule more difficult. Mellie had a daycare that took her early and kept her late from school, but Bella wanted her daughter to have an easier childhood. One without a constantly absent or busy mother. For it was obvious to see how much the little girl longed for attention. Melanie Brayden Swan was a pretty and sweet little girl who looked exactly like her aunt. Mellie had these big brown eyes that were so wide and deep and earnest that a person had to be careful to steel themselves against her. And her hair curled into darling little ringlets that hung down her back for she refused to have her hair cut. School for Mellie was fun! She was so bright that her work was simple and she came home every night giggling over jokes that Mr. Cullen told their class. Bella suspected that the little girl had a bit of a crush on her teacher.

Bella knew that her work often got in the way of the comfortable family life that she had been accustomed to as a child. But she wanted to give her child the wealthy and easy lifestyle that she herself had not been able to have. Charlie Swan, Bella's father, was a police chief in a small town in northern New Jersey and her mother Rene was a kindergarten teacher. Money had been tight all her life, but it was quite obvious that it was no longer the case. Bella had bought a large colonial house in a rather wealthy neighborhood. The house itself was lovely, a large white structure with lovely green shutters and window boxes overflowing with red tulips. The front door was large and red on an inviting porch on which Bella had strategically placed about it. All in all it had a homey look. However, inside the house was extremely different. A two-story colonial was big for two people, especially one being a small little girl. But Bella liked the space. It allowed her to give Mel multiple rooms. Melanie had her bedroom and a playroom all to herself. On top of a large, welcoming study that Bella set aside for her to use for homework time. This allowed the rest of the house to remain neat and clean, so much so that it barely looked lived in. But that was the way that neat-freak Bella liked her life. Clean, neat and structured. No surprises, just polished hardwood floors leading into a chic kitchen, a cozy den, a fancy living room and of course a large library.

And if you asked Bella what she thought of her life, she could answer quite truly that she wouldn't have changed a minute of it. She adored Melanie and was glad to give her a home. The little girl didn't know that she was adopted yet, but Bella vowed that she would tell her when she turned ten. Bella's life was good. She had a fantastic job, a beautiful house, and a lovely child. She would tell you, if she was in a truthful mood, that she was so tired. Lately, Melanie had begun to have nightly nightmares that caused her to scream bloody murder and then pile into Bella's bed with her plethora of dolls and stuffed animals that accompanied her to bed every night. Not that Bella really minded. It was calming to see her little girl curled up around a toy, her thumb in her mouth. Oftentimes, she would just run her fingers through Mel's hair, stroke her cheek or just watch her sleep. But in doing those things, Bella never seemed to be able to fall asleep. She could spend an entire night cuddling her sleeping child, relishing her sweet innocence that she had preserved. It was through Bella that Melanie was still alive or at least safe and secure. Who knows what Rose would have done if Bella hadn't volunteered to adopt her baby.

And there was Bella's other problem. What young,, twenty-something year old man would want to date a mother?! Certainly none of the ones who Bella had met. The whole, I'm-sort-of-an-adoptive-mother speech always sent them packing. Eventually it became a game, seeing which ones would try to stick around and timing how long it took for them to leave. The longest was a lawyer who stayed an hour past her speech, but fled when he walked in her door and saw the Barbie backpack and rain slicker laying on the floor and then the small figure descending the stairs in pink footsie-pajamas did him in.

And today was the dreaded back to school night, where she would be compared to all the other parents by some snooty teacher. On the bright side, Mellie was extremely excited at the prospect of her mother seeing the carefully colored pictures that she had made with her class in preparation for the big night.

"Ugh! I give up!" Bella groaned. She had spent the last hour digging through her young looking wardrobe in hopes of finding something "motherly" to wear. The image of herself dressed in an "I Love Lucy" dress and vacuuming the carpet in heels and pearls set her to laughing. Resigning herself to a modest looking green sundress. It had two tiny spaghetti-straps and it flowed down to her knees where it had some very pretty lace pattern. Pulling her hair back into a loose barrette and throwing on her pair of comfortable gold sandals she pronounced herself good enough.

"Melanie!" she called, walking out of her bedroom and down the stairs to their large kitchen.

The sound of scampering feet and muffled giggles told her that Mel was playing the hide-and-seek game. Mel had invented many games to amuse herself when Bella was around, mainly because her mother had little time to play with her.

"Hm, where could my Mellie-bellie be?" Bella pretended to ponder as she opened various cabinets and appliances in "search" of the first grader.

More giggles came from the pantry that Bella had carefully avoided.

"Oh I give up!" Bella grumbled playfully. "Mellie come out and show Mommy where you were hiding! You are such a good hider." She carefully turned her back and braced herself for the added weight of Melanie who immediately threw herself on Bella's back.

"Here I am, Mommy!" Mel giggled, letting Bella go and running in circles around the room. "Is Mrs. Thompson coming over tonight?"

Mrs. Thompson was a wealthy, but lonely widow who lived directly across the street from the Swans. Early on, she had been immensely helpful in getting Melanie and Bella settled into a completely new lifestyle. And she still insisted on babysitting whenever possible.

The doorbell rang and Melanie sprang to her feet in her excitement.

"Oh Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" she shouted as she danced from foot to foot. "May I please, please, please pretty please with sugar on top answer the door?"

Laughing Bella relented, knowing full well that it was their kindly neighbor at the door. Still, she followed Mellie just to be careful. As soon as Mel had allowed the woman to actually enter the house, Bella went up to her and kissed the wrinkled cheek and hugged the bony body tightly.

"Well, I guess you know what to do around here," Bella teased, looking into the kindly gray eyes that still shown with a youthful spirit. "Mel had her bath, she just needs to be put into her pajamas and brush her teeth. And she's allowed one cookie and one movie tonight for special treat."

Mrs. Thompson nodded, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "Bella, stop worrying! I'm practically her nana and, hon, if you don't mind me saying this you need a night out. And if you happen to be invited out afterwards well that's just fine. These old bones will be perfectly content to take a catnap in that delightful guest bedroom of yours."

Bella resisted the urge to roll her eyes and gathering up her lightweight yellow cashmere sweater and her pocketbook she allowed herself to be pushed out into the warm night. Settling into her car she began to pull out, but not without looking back to see the small, pale face pressed against the glass in Mel's usual "goodbye" gesture. She waved her hand and drove on to her doom. Back to school night.

**Ok, so what do you all think? Comments, criticism and suggestions are all welcome! I'd love to hear your theories. And yes, a certain someone will be in the next chapter. Hint hint! : )**


	2. Parent Teacher Night

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, alerted and favorited this story! You're all amazing! :)**

**Chapter 2:**

Edward Cullen had never seen a more beautiful creature in his entire life. And that was saying something. He had been voted "Most Attractive" and "Most Sought After", even if unofficially, in high school. There were always pretty girls around him, he seemed to draw them to him like moths to a candle flame. And he was equally as dangerous. But today he didn't seem to be in the mood for heartbreaking. In fact, he would have told you that the lovely woman could have broken his heart instead of the other way around.

It had all begun as he raced quickly into the school, he was running late due to horrible service by some giggling teenager at the local diner. And now he had to run to get to class on time. He didn't see the turned back until he nearly hit it.

"I am so sorry," he said respectfully to the back, which was still facing him.

The woman spun around and he gasped aloud at her beauty. She was wearing a beautiful green sundress with a sweater over it that made her pale skin glow and brought out the brown in her eyes. A warm, red blush spread over her cheeks, making her seem even sweeter. And her hair, Edward just wanted to run his hands through her long chestnut curls. She was an angel, he decided. Or a lost supermodel.

"Oh, I'm so clumsy!" she muttered to herself, coloring more.

"Can I help you?" Edward asked, looking down at her.

"Yes, I'm looking for a Mr. Cullen's first grade classroom," she said, looking more comfortable now.

Edward was convinced this was some kind of a joke. No woman that young or that beautiful could possibly have a first grader. It must be one of his friend Jasper's new jokes. Ever since Jazz and Alice, Edward's baby sister, got married Jazz had begun to step up the pranks. But this was over the top, even for his now brother-in-law. Jasper had to understand that back to school night was a sacred elementary school rite and that he wasn't to mess with it.

"Who's your kid?" Edward asked, eager to reveal the joke and move on.

"Melanie Swan," the angel replied. "I'm Bella Swan, her aunt and adoptive mother…it's…complicated."

"What about Mellie's mom?" Edward questioned, now knowing full well that his angel…er, Bella was no trick. "She's always talking about her. She's Melanie's hero."

"That would be me, I think," Bella replied. "Though I'm far from being a good role model…Oh, I'm so sorry Mr. Cullen. I'm afraid that I've been going on and on about personal problems that you don't really care anything about."

Edward was surprised by the fact that he _did_ care about her problems, he'd care about anything that had to do with her.

"Well I'm afraid that as truly interesting as I think that this story is, I'm afraid that I have a whole classroom of parents awaiting me," Edward said, looking down at the tiny figure before him. She looked so alone and so sad. He couldn't stop himself from adding, "But if you want to get a cup of coffee afterwards I would love to help you."

Nodding, Bella followed him into the classroom and he felt a sense of relief. Relief that he was going to keep her by his side for another few hours before he had to send her home again.

Back to school night passed in a flash, just another round of tired faces of parents who were there to meet and judge their children's teacher and each other. He knew that Bella was making an interesting impression. She was young, hip and the total anti-mother compared to all those other soccer moms. Well, Bella was anything but a soccer mom.

"Hey," Edward said, coming to stand beside her in the classroom where she was examining Melanie's cubby and smiling to herself at the pink stickers that were plastered all over her nametag. "I was thinking that-um-if you don't mind…it might be best go just go in one car."

Bella seemed reluctant, but after a while she consented. Edward felt like jumping up and down and dancing in circles. All from one little "sure". He helped Bella into his beat-up old Toyota sedan and watched her carefully disguise her surprise at its neat interior. Smiling to himself, Edward got into the front seat and began to drive towards the Grist Mill, the local coffee shop.

"So," he said, when they finally settled into a booth with steaming cups of chai tea, just another love that they had in common, "Would you like to begin your story again? I'm a pretty good listener."

Bella stirred her tea thoughtfully and then began to speak. "It's complicated. I told you that before I think. You see, about six years ago my younger brother Emmett got his girlfriend Rosalie Hale pregnant. She didn't want to keep the baby, but she didn't think an abortion was right either. And she definitely didn't want to put it up for adoption. I was a senior in high school then and they were sophomores. So I told her that if her parents kept the baby then I would adopt it after I was able to support the two of us. I finished college and got this amazing job with a publishing company…and now here I am. I barely know what to do! It's been so crazy that now that things are settling down…I don't know what to do. Oh, Mr. Cullen! I'm only twenty four and I have to raise a kid!"

Edward looked at her sympathetically, but the first thing that came to his mind was how young she was. _She's only twenty four,_ he thought. _She's only two years younger than me and she has to raise a little girl, a decision she made when she was eighteen._ He was intimidated by the extreme maturity she exhibited at such a young age when he was considering parties and dates. Bella had begun a family, essentially saving a little girl.

"Wow, Bella you're amazing!" he exclaimed, finally able to voice his opinion. "But please call my Edward, you make me feel like my dad."

Bella chuckled at his comment. "I'm far from amazing…I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Melanie is happy for now, but I'm not ready for a kid yet!"

"Relax, Bella. You've been doing great. The best thing you can do is get to know Mellie. She'll show you what she needs. But you can also set some rules, show her that there's going to be a system, an order to your home life."

"Oh, you have no idea Edward," Bella said, in a way that made Edward's heart flutter.

Wait, why was he turning into such a romantic sap? One of those "girls" who cried over romance novels and those silly romantic comedy movies. Edward Cullen was not one of those guys. He was a good teacher, who loved his kids dearly, but he also had a healthy love for more masculine activities. Like football games…and drinking beer with his friends. He could not believe that one woman could make him feel that way.

"How so?" he asked, in a way that he deemed casually flirtatious. "You'd be surprised at what I can understand."

"Well, I have a bit of OCD," Bella said, blushing deeply. "Our house is perfect, our papers are perfectly organized and if I have my way our lives will be too." She laughed, the most beautiful and musical laugh that Edward had ever heard.

Edward chuckled to himself, liking Bella's honest demeanor. She was a woman after his own heart. _And the sap continues…_he thought cynically to himself.

"Well then I'm sure you won't have any problems!" Edward said, entirely serious even though his voice had a joking quality. "But seriously, Bella, if there's anything I can ever do for you. Anything that you might need, please feel free to call me." He handed her a napkin that he had scrawled his phone number on. "Call anytime and about anything. I'll be glad to help you.

"Thanks, Edward," Bella said quietly, taking the napkin. "I really need to head home now, though. Our elderly neighbor is watching Mel, but if I don't get home soon, Mel will be watching her!"

Laughing, Edward helped her into her coat. And walked her outside. The little old man sitting in the corner of the coffee shop, unobtrusively people watching, thought what a handsome couple they made. A pretty girl and a dashing fellow. Nothing more fairytale or classic than that.

Helping Bella into the car, Edward was struck with a longing to see her again. Just talking to her was the most satisfying experience that he had had in years. Their short discussion was interesting and she was a woman made of so many facets that he felt as if he could talk to her forever and be surprised every day.

_I'm becoming a girl!_ he thought to himself. And then, out of the sheer impulse to be able to spend more time with her he offered the suggestion that could quite possibly ruin his life.

"Hey, Bell?" he asked quietly breaking the still of the car, the first few minutes of their car ride having been spent in silence. "Um…if you ever need anyone to watch Melanie when you need some time to be young, you can just call me. If it's not too…um…awkward."

Bella started at the new nickname, she had never liked anyone else using "Bell" to shorten her long name, but she couldn't help liking the way it rolled off of Edward Cullen's tongue.

"I'll have to take you up on that sometime," she said, smiling.

"Promise?" Edward asked.

"Promise."

**Haha…so that is the end of chapter two. What do you all think? I promise that things will not be smooth sailing for them! Right now they're attracted to each other, but nothing more than two people becoming friends. Whatever will happen? Please review! **


	3. Disaster Strikes

**I apologize for all of the confusion with chapters. I'm pretty sure I finally straightened this out! :)**

**Chapter 3:**

Bella hadn't expected to call Edward at all, let alone so soon. But, in her defense, .she never expected events to occur the way they did.

A few months had passed since Melanie had moved in with Bella and both were beginning to adjust. Bella was still having issues balancing motherhood and a social life, mothering **always** took precedence. The days passed quickly though; Mel had school five days a week, playgroup after school, plenty of friends for playdates and when she was home with Bella, she was a resourceful girl who contented herself with her toys. The two had come to understand each other and had developed a mother-daughter bond.

Bella smiled to herself, remembering a warm October evening when she and Melanie had had their first of many movie nights. They had curled up on the large comfortable pleather couch, Bella in her favorite sweats, her hair sloppily pulled back and Mel in her adorable pink ballerina pajamas. Warm blankets covered them, they leaned together, but still had their own blanket. A pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, with two spoons sticking out from it, sat between them and they absently picked at it. Adam Sandler, in the movie _Bedtime Stories_, was playing in a new imaginary world that Mellie was eagerly drinking up.

"Mommy, can you tell me a bedtime story?" she asked Bella later that night as she was being tucked into bed. "Not one from a book, but one you make up from your head."

Using fragments from children's stories that she had edited in the past, Bella wove a fairytale for Mellie complete with just the right amount of romance, action and adventure for a six year old girl. When Mel had finally dropped off to sleep, Bella quietly tiptoed out of her bedroom and into the study next door. It was a Friday night, so Bella had very little reading to do for work. Instead, she looked over the notes that Edward, _Mr. Cullen,_ had been putting into Mel's Take Home Journal in which the two communicated. His notes were filled with encouragement and praise for both herself and Melanie. He informed her that Mel often bragged about her mom and all the fun that they had. But, he found it necessary to tell Bella, Melanie had a good sense of right and wrong and punishments. All in all, Bella had done a good job with her.

Following a spur of the moment "I have everything under control" instinct, Bella sent out an e-mail inviting her family for Thanksgiving dinner. She figured it would give "Uncle" Emmett a chance to meet Melanie and a chance for the whole family to get together.

_How hard could one family dinner be?_ she reasoned to herself. _It's just a fancy meal, nothing too difficult._

Or so she assumed then, and by the time she knew better it was too late to back out, everyone had happily agreed. And so, it was another Friday afternoon, but Mel was visiting Mrs. Thompson across the street and Bella was up to her elbows in a Thanksgiving meal. She had pulled out every cook-book she owned and several How To's from the internet, but none seemed to be helping her. She tugged at her hair that was pulled back messily into a bun and wiped her hands furiously across her now flour covered jeans as if that would solve all of her problems.

_Maybe I'll just pick up a pre-made turkey from the supermarket tonight_, she thought rebelliously. _No one will ever have to know the difference._

But the dratted little voice in the back of her mind told her she would be wrong to do something of the sort. A frantic knocking at her front door startled her from her thoughts. Not caring in the least about her disgruntled appearance, Bella walked towards the front door. Upon opening it, she was shocked to see Melanie, pale and panting standing there all by herself.

"What's wrong Mellie Bellie?" Bella asked her, looking around for Mrs. Thompson. "Where is Mrs. Thompson?"

"Sh-she-she," Mel stuttered out that one word before breaking down into tears and pointing to the house. She pantomimed grasping her chest and falling over, still unable to talk.

"Alright, it's going to be alright, baby," Bella told Mel, she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince. "You go inside and calm down, Mommy's going to get help."

Melanie nodded obediently, comforted by the mere thought of her mother "fixing things". She trotted down the hallway towards the kitchen in almost a trance. With Melanie gone Bella had lost her one and only reason to keep from breaking down. Mentally shaking herself, Bella broke out of the trance and picked up her cell phone.

Dialing 9-1-1, she quickly informed the dispatcher that she was relatively sure that her elderly neighbor had suffered a heart attack. She was however sure that the neighbor was in trouble, she explained as calmly as she knew how.

With an ambulance on the way, Bella was at a loss of what to do. Someone had to go with Mrs. Thompson, the poor woman should not be alone in the hospital, but at the same time, someone had to stay with Melanie. Frantically flicking through her contacts, Bella's eyes settled on the one person who she knew for a fact that she could speak to.

Edward.

Hurrying into the downstairs bathroom, Bella shut the door and dialed his number. She was literally shaking now, the affects of the adrenaline had faded leaving her exhausted and terrified.

Thankfully, he answered after only two rings.

"_Hello?_" he asked.

"Edward, this is Bella Swan, Melanie's mother," Bella said, feeling tears fill her eyes.

"_Bella! What's wrong? Are you okay? Is _Melanie_ ok?_" Edward had heard the tears in her voice and now he was frantic.

"We're both okay. Oh, but Edward!" Bella felt herself come undone. "Today has been such a mess. I can't make a turkey…a _turkey_!" She gave a hysterical laugh into the phone and continued her tale. "And then, Melanie knocks on the front door. She was all alone and terrified, she told me that Mrs. Thomson, our neighbor who watches her collapsed. I sent her inside and called 9-1-1, but now _I don't know what to do_! Someone has to go with the poor woman, but I can't take Mel and obviously she can't stay alone." Bella began to sob hysterically. She was alone and scared. Never had she experienced anything like this on her own, when she was expected to fix everything and be strong.

"Bella, calm down," she heard Edward say in such a kind voice that she felt immediately calmer. "Look, we'll handle this. Give me your address and I'll be right there. Send the medics ahead with your neighbor and when I get there you'll head over. I'll stay with Melanie until you can come home. And then we'll talk about Thanksgiving."

"Thank you, Edward," Bella whispered into the phone, relieved to have someone else taking control again.

Bella Swan was a strong, capable girl, but she was so young to be in control of so much. Juggling the many aspects of motherhood and emergencies was something that she had yet to accomplish, not that she expected many more emergencies.

About five minutes later, Edward's car swung into her driveway. Its driver appeared frantic, his hair mussed, his eyes wild, and his shirt on backwards.

"I was at the gym when you called," he said, running a hand through his hair as if to tame it. "You should change and head over to the hospital."

Bella attempted to laugh, but it stuck in her throat. Instead, she opted for the grateful nod and motioned Edward into the house.

"Mel's in the kitchen," she whispered hoarsely.

Edward nodded and walked down the hall in search of the room. Bella realized when she was upstairs that she had never told him _where_ it was. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of jeans, a pale blue top and threw a green sweatshirt over her arm. To cover up her disgusting hair, Bella took one of her father's ancient baseball caps. Taking the stairs two at a time, she ran into the kitchen and stopped in her tracks.

Edward and Melanie were at the kitchen island, Edward standing and Melanie kneeling on a stool. Talking softly to her, he was showing her how to make one of the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that she loved so dearly. Glancing up, Melanie motioned Bella into the room.

Bella saw the whole scene play out in her mind. She'd walk in and stand beside Melanie and run her fingers through the child's hair. Edward would move closer to her and wrap her in his arms and kiss her cheeks and hair lovingly. A family. Bella saw them all as a family. Mel would call Edward "Daddy", and he in turn would lift her up in his arms and swing her around in dizzy circles, Melanie giggling the entire time.

She shook her head, as if to dislodge the daydream from her memory and stepped momentarily into the room.

"I'm going to go now. Melanie, I need you to be good for Mr. Cullen, he's going to stay with you while Mommy goes to take care of Mrs. Thompson," Bella said seriously.

Looking up, Edward gave her the oddest look. It made her think that maybe he had had the same "vision" that she had. But of course that was ridiculous. Edward Cullen, Melanie's gorgeous teacher would never think of her that way. Wait, since when was he gorgeous?

**Please please please review! :)**


	4. Hospital Scares

**Thank you reviewers, favoriters and alerters! You're all amazing! Please please please review...the reviews really help to motivate a writer! haha Thanks again and enjoy this chapter! :)**

**Chapter 4:**

Grabbing her coat from the rack where it was kept everyday, Bella put it on and prepared to go out into the mid-November chill.

"Bella!" Edward called from behind her. His long strides quickly caught up to her smaller ones and he gently turned her around by her arm. It took a lot of self control to ignore the sparks shooting up her arm from his touch, but somehow she managed. He dropped her arm like it was burning him and ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Do you want me to stay with Melanie until you get home or do you want me to meet you at the hospital?"

"I think it would be best if you stay here with her, there's just too much for her to be exposed to at the hospital," Bella said slowly, carefully considering her words.

Nodding Edward voiced question after question, almost in a desperate attempt to keep her there a moment longer. Bella shook her head at the ridiculousness of her own thoughts, Edward was just asking questions that any responsible adult would ask. Had Melanie eaten yet? No, there was a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in the fridge. What time was her bedtime? Eight o'clock, give or take a few minutes. And he could just put her into her pajamas, she didn't need a bath that night. Finally, with all of Edward's questions satisfied, Bella jogged out the front door towards her car.

She sped all the way to the hospital, something she had never before done. Bella Swan was a rule follower, she wasn't one to foolishly drive quickly, but this was a unique occasion; one that called for a bit of a road rage.

Arriving at the hospital, she quickly found a parking spot and pulled in. Pulling her coat tightly about her against the late autumn chill, she ran quickly to the hospital's entrance. After inquiring at a nurse's station, she was directed to the CCU where Mrs. Thompson had been sent once they were finished with her in the ER. Bella hurriedly found the floor the nurse had told her to and frantically looked about for someone else to tell her where to go.

A man in a white coat was striding down the hall and Bella raced over to him, pulling on his sleeve urgently to get his attention.

"Excuse me!" she pleaded repeatedly, trying to get his attention. Finally, he turned around and did a double take when he saw her. Bella had to admit that he was a handsome man, he was a Native American which was made obvious by his dark brown skin, warm brown eyes and shaggy black hair.

"Can I help you?" he asked, sounding a bit nervous.

"I hope so," Bella began. "My neighbor was admitted in this wing after her heart attack…and I was hoping to see her."

"I'm really sorry, miss," the doctor told her, looking genuinely upset. "But I'm afraid that only family can see the patients until visiting hours."

"You don't understand," Bella pleaded. "I'm the only family she has. She's been taking care of my daughter and me since the day we moved in, I just never realized it. _Please_ doctor, you have to let me see her. I can't let her be alone in there."

"Alright," he agreed wearily. "But if anyone asks you're her daughter. Now what's her name?"

"Mrs. Thompson," Bella told him. "Thank you so much. I'm Bella Swan, by the way."

"Dr. Jacob Black, and I happen to be her doctor, if you wouldn't mind following me."

"Thank you!" Bella whispered emphatically as she scurried after his large, purposeful strides.

"Alright, Ms. Swan," Dr. Black announced once they stopped outside her room. "This is your mother's room, and I should warn you, she's not looking her best."

She gulped and followed him into her room. Mrs. Thompson looked very small and pale in the sterile room, hooked up to a bunch of beeping machines. But her face brightened when she saw Bella.

"How is Mellie Belly?" Mrs. Thompson asked weakly, but her bright eyes conveyed her worry for the girl. "I hope I didn't scare her too badly."

"Melanie is great, she's with a friend at home and happily playing," Bella reassured her friend, moving to sit beside her.

Mrs. Thompson, acting with a grandmotherly-like sense of pride began to brag about Melanie. "Melanie is Bella's daughter. Just six years old and a bright little girl she is. Why she just eats up any book I read to her! Looks like the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree!"

Dr. Blacks' eyes became a little puzzled, but he maintained a professional front. He asked Mrs. Thompson many questions, writing furiously on her chart before the woman fell into an exhausted slumber. Then he motioned Bella out into the hall.

"I don't mean to pry, Ms. Swan, but how old are you? There are programs available if you need any help raising your child," Dr. Black began, after updating Bella on her "mother's" health.

Bella laughed aloud. "Dr. Black, I appreciate the concern, but I am 24 years old and have only been caring for this girl for less than a year. I have a good job and live in a wonderful old house and send my daughter to the best school and daycare around. You can say that I have this all under control." Then, for some unknown reason, she left him with that information. She didn't tell him that Mel was her brother's child or about the "deal" she had worked out with Rosalie and their parents. She wanted someone to think that she was Melanie's real mother because she was proud of herself and her child for all that they had overcome.

Bella got herself a cup of coffee and returned to her neighbor's room. When the elderly woman awoke about two hours later, 9:30 at night, she pestered Bella into going home. She told the young woman that she had a child and a life to get home to and that they could both come in to see her the next day. Finally giving in, Bella gave the fragile cheek a kiss and walked out slowly, just in case Mrs. Thompson was to change her mind. But the woman was stubborn and rarely changed her mind, and this was no exception. She smiled and waved cheerily to Bella as she walked out the door and laughed to herself as she left.

Bella made her way out of the hospital feeling less frantic than she had when she had first entered. She made her way to her car with a sense of relief, Melanie was safe, Mrs. Thompson was healthy, and for once she wasn't going to return to a near empty house. She unlocked her car and settled into it, and placed her keys in the ignition.

The sounds the car made as she tried to start it were anything but happy. She angrily banged her hands against the steering wheel.

"Need some help?" an amused voice asked from outside her window causing Bella to jump in surprise.

**I know...I'm mean! Sorry about the cliffy! Please review and I will update soon!**


	5. Jealous of a Stranger

**I know it's been a while and I'm sorry for that...everything has been crazy! Please read and review. I would love to hear what you think! :)**

**Chapter 5:**

"Dr. Black!" Bella exclaimed once she began to breath normally again. "You scared me."

"I'm sorry about that," he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. It was then that Bella realized he was out of he scrubs and dressed in normal clothes. "And please, call me Jake. When I'm outside the hospital I hate to have people calling me by such a formal name. Anyway, it looks like you could use some help."

Bella laughed wryly at his statement. "Yeah, I think I do. My car just won't start and I know absolutely nothing about fixing it…or anything to do with cars for that matter."

"If you don't mind, Bella, I could take a look at your engine," Jake offered kindly. "I used to work on cars when I was a teenager, so I know a bit about fixing them up."

"That would be great, Jake," Bella said, feeling relieved. "I have to get home to my daughter."

Jacob looked a little shocked to hear Bella mention her child again. Bella thought it was sort of amusing to keep him uninformed. But somehow she still felt guilty.

"I know this is none of my business," Jacob began, as he rolled up his sleeves and leisurely made his way over to the front of her car. He had popped the hood and was lifting it up. He did not, however, look inside the car. Instead, he faced Bella who had made her way out from the front seat. "But how have you only had your child for a year?"

Sighing, Bella sat on the ground and motioned for him to sit beside her. "This is going to sound a little strange, but you have to know that I have no regrets. My life has turned out great and there is absolutely nothing that I would change." As Jake sat down, Bella began her story and watched his face carefully.

"I suppose I should have told you all of this before," Bella said when she had ended her tale, nearly laughing at the expression on his face. "It's just that it felt nice to be Mel's birthmother for a while too. You can't imagine how people react when they find out I adopted her at my age." She laughed to herself.

"Wow," Jake breathed when he could finally breath again. "You were so mature when you were a senior in high school. And even now. When I was your age I was definitely not thinking about a little girl. Or even a house."

"I've gotten that same reaction before," Bella said, blushing a little as she remembered her first conversation with Edward. "So, Jake, what should I do with my car?"

Getting up, Jacob lifted the hood and stuck his head inside. He tinkered around inside for a little while, making Bella a little nervous with all the thunks and squeaks that he was making, before lifting his head and shutting the hood.

"You're going to need to get this thing to a shop. You're transmission's shot as far as I can tell," Jake said, straightening up and rubbing his dirty hands off on his jeans.

"Then I'd better call a cab and a tow truck," Bella groaned, digging through her purse for her cell-phone.

"Why don't I just drive you home?" Jacob asked her. "I'm sure it won't be too far out of my way."

"Well…" Bella felt hesitant to ask a man she barely knew for such a huge favor.

"Please Bella. I would feel compelled to sit here with you until both the tow truck and the cab arrived. Thus shortening my already abbreviated time off."

Bella laughed. "So now you're going to play the tired doctor card?"

"If it works. And I've found it has a 99 percent success rate," he said, keeping up the cheerful banter. "Come on, I promise my car isn't that bad. I promise."

"Alright, fine. Just give me some time to call a tow truck," Bella relented, trusting the young and kind doctor.

"You don't have to do that. It'll be fine here overnight and I can call one for you in the morning. This way you can get home to your daughter," Jacob said, eager to return to his own home.

"Thank you so much, Jacob," Bella said, grateful to her new acquaintance and glad that the next day was a Saturday. "I really don't want to keep Melanie waiting for too long."

"You're welcome, Bella," Jake said, quickly growing impatient. "But let's go."

"Alright, alright!" Bella agreed, laughing.

She got into his beat-up sedan and looked around. True to his word, the interior was neat, but it was obviously old.

"I thought doctors make a lot of money!" Bella said, smiling to show it wasn't meant offensively.

"Doctors do. Interns paying off their student loans don't," he replied, smiling at her as he got into the car.

Bella laughed and smiled happily at Jacob. Instead of feeling as if she had known him for the few hours that she actually had, she felt like they had been friends her whole life. Being with him felt natural.

With Bella directing the car, Jacob soon found her house. Of course there were a few missed turns, where Bella told him to drive right and then quickly clarified that she meant the _other_ right. But they got there in one piece, and that was really all that mattered.

Turning into her driveway, Jake somehow felt as if he was once again the guilty teenager aching to kiss a girl in her driveway while he knew that she had to get inside for curfew. Wait, did he just think _kiss?_

Bella opened her door and hesitated a moment before looking at him.

"Why don't you come in?" she asked him. "You took me all the way home, the least I can do is offer you a cup of coffee?"

Though just moments ago he was completely exhausted and only wanted to return home, he found himself following her up the path to her front door.

Her house was simply gorgeous. Large, but simple in structure, carefully arranged furniture made it look elegant yet comfortable and homey at the same time. Bella shed her coat, hanging it up on the coat rack beside the door and placing her shoes in a bin beside it. Lights were on towards the back of the house, in the direction in which Bella was walking.

"Hello!" a man called, coming out from the kitchen. "Mel was great, we read a few stories, watched a movie and ate some dinner-" he trailed off when he saw Jacob.

Jake watched as Bella ran up to him and gave him a hug, which he returned easily.

"Thank you, Edward!" Bella nearly crooned from his arms. "I hope it wasn't any inconvenience…"

"Not at all," 'Edward' said gallantly. "Bella, we're being rude: who is this?"

"I am so sorry! Edward, this is Dr. Jacob Black who gave me a ride home from the hospital tonight when my car wouldn't start. Jake, this is my friend Edward Cullen."

Jacob extended his hand and the two shook, grasping one another tightly. Both had a rather strong grip, they soon discovered.

"Jake, I'm really sorry to do this to you, but tomorrow's going to be crazy for me and-" Bella began, only to be interrupted by the doctor.

"It's not a big deal. I'll call for a tow truck tomorrow. Some friends of mine own a shop a town or so over and they'd be more than glad to do me a favor," Jacob said. "It was nice to meet you, Edward."

"Likewise," Edward said to him.

Their entire exchange was tense, but Bella didn't notice. She was too busy fretting over her ruined Thanksgiving dinner. She walked Jacob to the door, lost in thought, and gave him an absent minded hug.

"Thanks again, Jake!" she said, her voice sounding distant.

"No problem, Bella," he told her, getting into his car and driving home.

He vowed to himself never again to chose a pretty girl over an hour of sleep. Especially after the circuits he'd worked the past few days. He was just sleep-deprived, nothing else. He made a ridiculous choice because he had barely slept for a minute all week. There was nothing else to it, no attraction or even a possible crush. Nothing to it…


	6. Operation Thanksgiving

**I apologize for the delay! I have been writing hundreds of college application essays so my free time has been spent NOT writing! Please enjoy this next chapter!**

**Chapter 6: **

Bella shut the door behind Jake and made her way to the kitchen where she knew Edward would be waiting for her. Everything about Edward being in her home felt natural, like that was the way her life was supposed to be. She picked up toys, putting them into a basket and placed it on the stairs to bring up to the playroom later that night. She walked into the kitchen where Edward was sitting at the breakfast bar.

He was flipping through her pages of cookbooks and Internet printouts. Edward sifted through them, pulling some pages out and placing some to the side. He looked upset, almost angry as he did it.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked him, placing a hand on his arm. Something about the entire situation seemed rather domestic to her, but she pushed the thought out of her mind.

"Nothing," Edward snapped a little too quickly to be convincing.

"Look, I'm sorry I called you, okay?" she was beginning to cry. "It's just that I needed help and I don't exactly have anyone else around here. Besides, you told me to call you if I needed anything. I was just so scared for Melanie and I didn't have anyone else I could call. I'm new here, I don't have friends. I have you, Mrs. Thompson and Mel."

Edward looked down at her, his face a mixture of emotions. He wrapped his arms around Bella, making her feel safe and _home_ at the same time.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not upset because you called me, I was more than happy to come over here. It's just that…you know what, never mind. It doesn't matter anymore."

Feeling her in his arms was all that mattered to Edward at the moment. Dr. Black could have been there months, even years in the past. He no longer mattered. Edward was starting to realize he had more than a friendly interest in the young woman. Bella was becoming one of the most attractive women in his acquaintance, someone who he was desperate to date.

Wiping her eyes, Bella pulled gently out of his arms and surveyed the kitchen.

"What am I going to do?" she groaned, seeing the bare table in her mind's eye that she would be forced to present to her family. "I can't possibly host Thanksgiving without a turkey, or anything else for that matter."

Edward rolled up his sleeves and smiled down at her. "Then let's get crackin'."

Together the two managed to throw together several side dishes: stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and marshmallows, green beans, and cranberry sauce. Edward taught Bella how to marinate a turkey, placing the large parcel in the fridge to wait for its turn in the oven. By the time they finished cooking it seemed silly to send Edward home.

"We have a really lovely guest bedroom," Bella wheedled. "It has a shower and everything!"

"I couldn't possibly stay the night," Edward replied. "Your family will be here tomorrow and you have so much left to do."

"You mean _we_ have so much left to do, right?" she asked with a little smile. "You don't think that after all the work you put into this, I wouldn't invite you to dinner?"

Edward was flabbergasted. "But Thanksgiving is for family-"

"And friends!" she replied. "And you are most definitely my friend."

Edward wasn't sure if he was thrilled with the 'friend' status, but he'd take what he could get for the time being. After that, he was quick to acquiesce for he was truly exhausted from the long day and not very anxious to return to his quiet apartment.

The next morning he awoke to loud noises drifting into his room from next door. It took him a minute to remember where he was, lying in a comfortable bed in a flowery room. Throwing on his shirt from the previous day, he went to find the source of the racket.

Opening the door beside his own just a crack, he found Bella and Melanie curled up in her bed singing along to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Both in their pajamas with rumpled hair and sleepy smiles, they were the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. For one blissful minute, Edward imagined Bella beckoning him into their room where he would curl up with his family. Then he remembered that this was hardly his family, hardly his house.

There was a gasp from Bella followed by a deep blush and embarrassed smile. She turned down the volume on the TV, whispered something to Melanie and stumbled out of bed towards him. In her simple cotton tank and flowing pants, her hair tumbling about her, she was the most beautiful sight he had ever beheld.

"Did we wake you? I was trying so hard to be quiet, but I always get carried away! I am so sorry!"

"You didn't wake me, I was just…trying to find the bathroom again," Edward hastily pulled out any excuse he could think of.

"There's the one that's attached to your room. Though I must apologize because it's a joint one between your room and Mel's. The house seems to be designed for more than one child," Bella flushed again, imagining her own child, Edward's child, living in the spare bedroom. She didn't know where her mind was this morning, probably just coffee-deprived.

"Would you like some coffee?" she asked, anxious to change the subject.

"I'd love some," Edward was quick to accept, for he too sensed her unease.

"Great, give me a minute to throw on something decent and I'll meet you in the kitchen."

Edward went down into the kitchen, seeing the coffee maker but no coffee beans or instant coffee. Bella joined him quickly, wearing sweats and a T-shirt, looking relaxed and pretty. She rummaged through cabinets, pulling out packages and filling the coffee maker. Soon, the aroma of fresh coffee filled the kitchen. Edward poured the liquid caffeine into mugs, turning around to find Bella scrambling eggs in a pan over the stove.

"A Thanksgiving tradition from when I was little. I hope you're hungry!" she said, as the delicious smell of fresh eggs filled the house. "Mel!" she called towards the stairs. "Come down for breakfast!"

The three of them had breakfast together, watching the parade out of the corner of their eyes and singing along to the performances that came on. Bella left the TV turned onto NBC, the volume low, as she and Edward cleaned up in the kitchen. Melanie was watching it in the living room.

Edward helped Bella take the turkey out of the fridge and place it in the warming oven. She was caught up in the rush of the day, digging out tablecloths, finding the nice silver, the fine china and setting the table.

"Bella, I need to go home," Edward said, finally gaining the courage to speak.

"What?" she asked glancing up from the task of polishing a silver platter. "But I thought you were going to stay for dinner?"

"I am, if that's still alright with you. But I need to go home and change." He looked sheepishly down at his clothes, rumpled and sweaty from the gym.

Bella blushed again. "Oh, alright then. I was planning to serve dinner at 4:00. Do you think you could be here by 3:00? You deserve to have a final peek at the meal…and I need to prep you for my family."

Edward nodded and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Thank you for inviting me."

She smiled, her cheeks red from his chaste kiss. "I'll see you at three then."

Bella sighed in relief as she heard his car pull out of her driveway. Never had she felt so tense and nervous around someone. Never had she wanted someone to like her as desperately as she wanted him to.

Melanie walked into the kitchen and looked at her mother. "Why did Mr. Cullen sleep over last night?" she asked.

"Mr. Cullen is my friend and he was helping me out last night. He's going to be coming over for dinner tonight if that's alright with you, Mellie," Bella replied carefully.

Melanie simply nodded, she liked Mr. Cullen and saw no reason why he shouldn't be friends with her mommy. Bella placed a quick kiss on her forehead before putting her to work. By 3:00 the house was filled with smells of cooked food, the main course itself and the pies that Bella baked for dessert. She had hurried upstairs to dress before her family arrived, having already wrestled Melanie into a pretty red velvet dress. She glanced through her closet, rejecting her many black dresses before finally settling on a simple green silk babydoll dress. She left her hair down, but pulled it back with a matching headband.

The doorbell rang, and she smiled to herself, perhaps a bit too anxious to see her daughter's teacher. Pulling on a silvery shrug, she raced down the stairs, skidding around the corner into the hallway. She opened the door with a breathless smile.

"Dear me, Isabella! This is hardly a way to greet guests!" Renee Swan, Bella's mother, criticized. "I can't believe we agreed to this. Thanksgiving would have been so much nicer at our house, Charlie."

"Renee, we're not even in the house. Let's give her a chance," Charlie said, giving his daughter a peck on the cheek and walking into her house. "This place looks great, Bella. I'm really proud of you, sweetie!"

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Melanie shouted, running pell-mell into the kitchen.

After the 'hello's' were said, Charlie went into the living room to watch football, while Renee looked around the house for things to critique. Charlie uncomfortably pulled at his tie, uncomfortable in a formal suit after years in his police uniform. At quarter past three, Bella heard another knock at the door.

"Can I please please please get it mommy?" Melanie asked, bouncing up and down on her feet.

Bella smiled and nodded, following her daughter surreptitiously into the hallway. Melanie opened the door to a smiling Edward Cullen. In his hand was a bunch of daisies, simple and pretty. Kneeling down he handed Mel a single pink carnation from behind his back. Whispering in her ear and giving her a wink, he walked into the house towards Bella.

"And for the beautiful mother," Edward whispered in Bella's ear with a suggestive wink.

She blushed, burying her nose in the flowers to disguise her obvious attraction to Edward. As Bella left the hallway, heading towards the kitchen, Renee stuck her head into the hallway.

"Em is that you..oh…" she stuttered.

"Hello, Mrs. Swan is it? My name is Edward Cullen and I'm a friend of your daughter's."

"Are you dating Bella? Because it has been so long since she's been in a relationship, I'm starting to wonder if she's still a virgin!" Renee chattered.

"Mom!" Bella gasped, her face flushing a deep red. "Please don't listen to her, Edward. She's a pathological babbler."

Edward just smiled, looking down at his feet and trying to ignore how much he wanted to be getting the boyfriend speech.

"And for your information, Edward and I are just friends," Bella added, with a hint of finality in her voice.

Edward couldn't help feeling disappointed by this, wishing he hadn't heard such a hopeless remark. Thankfully, another knock on the door saved him from further consideration of this fact.

"Uncle Emmett! Uncle Emmett!" Melanie was shouting excitedly as a bear of a man gave her a huge hug."Hi Miss Rosalie," she added with quite a bit less enthusiasm.

"Hello Melanie," Rosalie began awkwardly. "I brought you a present from college…"

"Thanks Miss Rose!" Melanie replied, smiling as she opened the tiny pink T-shirt reading Rutgers University. She smiled, politely thanking the woman who was in fact her true mother.

Rosalie smiled in relief, holding Emmett's hand and walked into the house. Soon the house was bustling. Emmett and Charlie shouted at the TV in the living room, Edward and Bella rushed around the kitchen finishing dinner, Rosalie awkwardly attempted to connect with the amiable Melanie and Renee attempted to get into everyone's face. At 4:00 on the dot, everyone was gathered around the heaping dining room table watching Charlie carve the turkey.

Everyone hastened to dig into the food, raving over Bella's delicious cooking. Renee looked rather sour, upset that a Thanksgiving dinner away from her home could be acceptable. Edward and Bella shared looks over the table as everyone enjoyed their joint efforts.

After dinner, Edward once again joined Bella in the kitchen, this time to help her wash dishes.

"So…that was an interesting night," Edward said with a slightly uncomfortable smile.

"Please excuse my family, none of them seem to comprehend basic manners," she replied.

"It was wonderful, I really enjoyed getting to know them," Edward replied honestly. "It's telling to see where a person came from."

They worked in a companionable silence, listening to the sounds of the Swan family digesting their feast. Couple by couple, the Swans departed with kisses and compliments for Bella and handshakes and invitations for Edward. Soon, just Edward and Bella remained. Melanie had long since fallen asleep on the couch and the two were relaxing in the newly cleaned kitchen, a bottle of wine opened between them.

Edward had been mulling one thought over in his mind all afternoon, if he was totally honest with himself the thought had been in his head since the night he met Bella Swan. Looking down into the ruby depths of his drink, he waited for the words to come to him. But the words would not come and he was a desperate man so he just spit it out.

"Bella, would you like to…go out with me sometime?" he asked, looking beseechingly into her eyes.

Bella's eyes took on a startled look. "What? Edward?" she fragmented, unable to form true thoughts. "Isn't this inappropriate? I mean after all you're Melanie's teacher."

"I know," Edward replied sheepishly. "But I can't stop thinking about you, Bella. How great we could be together. And I know I'm Melanie's teacher but that doesn't mean if I date you I can't be objective."

"I'm still not sure Edward. I mean I like you a lot, but I have to think of Melanie and the school…"

"That's okay Bella, why don't you take a few days and think it over. When you haven an answer…call me. Promise?"

"I promise."

**I know that was sort of a mean thought to leave it on, but I promise I intend to post chapter 7 sooner! So, what did you all think? Is she going to say 'yes' or will Edward have to persuade her? And what will happen with Jacob? Comments, criticisms and suggestions are always welcome! Please please please review!**


	7. First Dates?

**I apologize for the extreme delay with uploading this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait! :) Please review; comments, critiques, I want to hear it all!**

**Chapter 7:**

"_I promise,"_ those words echoed through Bella's mind for a full two weeks after what she began to refer to as The Thanksgiving Fiasco. Though her life was busy, filled by her ever-demanding job, caring for Melanie and decorating for Christmas, her mind was always drifting back to Edward and his question.

In a perfect world, Bella would have been just any other 24-year-old woman. Edward would have asked her out and she would have said 'yes' without any hesitation. A year of dating, a proposal and a wedding later, they would have welcomed Melanie into the world. But this wasn't a perfect world, this was a world where Bella was a single mother and Edward, extremely attractive, kind and _available_ Edward, was her daughter's teacher.

No matter how she tried to reason with herself about the ethics of dating the person who should be known to her only as Mr. Cullen, she kept reaching the seemingly inevitable conclusion: "what's the harm?" She asked herself this question sleepless night after night, and night after night there never seemed to be a viable answer.

Finally, after those full two weeks of agonizing and questioning, Bella could take it no longer. She hadn't had a full night's sleep in all that time. There were dark circles under her eyes, she felt herself falling asleep as she worked and she barely had the energy to interact with her daughter. Summoning up all her courage, Bella reached for her phone. She quickly selected Edward's contact information before she could lose her nerve. He answered on the second ring.

"_Hello? Bella, is everything ok?"_ he spoke into the phone, sounding out of breath.

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine. Am I calling at a bad time, I can call again later," she replied, feeling uncomfortable and nervous about how far Edward's feelings towards her extended.

"_It's fine, I was just finishing up my run at the gym. Give me a sec to turn off the machine and then I'm all yours_." She heard shuffling sounds and what sounded like a herd of elephants before Edward returned to the phone. "_Sorry, gym's mobbed at this hour. This guy's been eyeing my treadmill for the past 10 minutes, I guess he finally got what he was waiting for."_

"I'm sorry to have bothered you at such an inconvenient time, you know I really can call you back later. Mellie will be asleep around 8 and then—"

Edward cut her off, "_Bella there is never a bad time for you to call me, when will you realize that?_"

Bella didn't know what to say in response, after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Edward spoke again, "_So what can I do for you today Ms. Swan_?"

"I've been thinking about what we were discussing at Thanksgiving. I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. And though I'm still nervous about possible repercussions, I really like you."

"_Is that a 'yes'?" _hope filled Edward's voice.

"It's a 'yes'," Bella whispered, smiling as she heard the words spoken aloud for the first time. "But until Mrs. Thompson is out of the hospital, I don't exactly have anyone to watch Melanie."

"_Why don't I make you both dinner Saturday night? She'll go down pretty early, and then we can watch a movie or something_."

Bella was filled with so many emotions that she could not at first respond. Edward took this silence the wrong way. "_Of course I understand if you're not comfortable with that. I was being too presumptuous—"_

This time, it was Bella's turn to cut him off. "I'm just so…grateful. No one has ever tried to date both Mel and I before. This sounds like the perfect date, for both of us. Thank you, Edward."

"_So I'll see you Saturday. Your place or mine?_"

"Let's do mine, that way Melanie can sleep in her own bed and I won't have to explain as much. You've already been to our home, it shouldn't be too strange for you to come over again. Why don't you come over at 6?"

"_6 it is. I can't wait to see you then_."

With a few last friendly words, they ended the call. All Bella could think upon its conclusion was that there were but three days left to go. Three days until she went on her first date with Edward Cullen and from there…well, who knows.

Those three days passed in a blur for Bella. Between work, Melanie and cleaning the house, she barely had enough time to collapse into bed for seven hours of sleep before repeating the cycle. But when Saturday finally arrived, the Swan residence was squeaky clean.

Bella and Melanie spent the day playing in the den. It was far too cold to be playing outside, snow had been falling all day. Mel's favorite game of all was dress-up-tea-parties, she had invented it herself, she told Bella with pride. So wearing a tiara and boa over her jeans and sweater, Bella threw herself into the party with gusto. At 5 o'clock, however, the festivities were put on hold. Melanie turned her attention to her doll guests and Bella went into the kitchen.

In an hour, she had prepared a simple meal that was suitable for both kids and adults: homemade macaroni and cheese, fresh bread and green beans. With a smile on her face, she set the sturdy oak kitchen table, putting the food into large dishes in the center. It was nice to have another person to cook for, a person whose diet did not center around pasta and chicken nuggets.

At exactly 6 o'clock, the doorbell range. Bella smiled, sensing that she was not the only one excited by the prospects of the night. At the sound, Melanie came racing to the hallway.

"Mommy, can I answer the door? Please please please? I want to show Mr. Cullen my new dollie!"

Bella laughed, acquiescing to her daughter's enthusiasm. She leaned against the door and watched the scene unfold with amusement.

Melanie dashed to the door, flung it open and began to talk a thousand miles an hour.

" .I'mreallyexcitedthatyou' .Wannasee? ' ."

Edward looked stunned, but allowed himself to be dragged into the den where the doll family's residence had been established. Melanie ran around the room, introducing him to her precious toys. Once the introductions were completed, Melanie allowed Edward and Bella to speak to one another. She returned to her toys, allowing them a few moments of privacy.

"Hi," Bella said, feeling shy now that their 'date' was actually beginning. "Mel's a little excited that you're here."

Edward laughed, putting her at ease. "So I can see. But to tell you the truth, I didn't understand half of what she was telling me."

"Don't worry, I doubt she'll test you on it later. Why don't you come in and have a glass of wine. Can I take your coat?"

The two made their way into the kitchen, where Bella had put out two glasses and a bottle of her favorite red wine. The two talked quietly for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company as they spoke of trifling matters. Seeing the clock, Bella called Melanie in and the three sat down for dinner.

As Edward helped Melanie scoop some macaroni onto her plate, he couldn't help noting how natural it was to sit down with the Swan girls. He felt as if they had always eaten dinner together, that he had always spooned green beans onto a little girl's plate, that Bella had always glared at him when he didn't give Melanie enough healthy food, that he had always laughed his way through a meal.

Once dinner was devoured, Melanie ran from the room towards the living room. "Mommy, you coming?" she called.

"After dinner, Melanie and I read together every night. It's something my dad and I did when I was little and I thought it would be good for her too," Bella explained to Edward. "She's even starting to read a little to me."

"Bella, that's wonderful!" Edward replied. "Would it be alright if I joined in?"

"But of course! I hope you like _Harry Potter_," Bella replied.

"You're a fan of magic, are you?" Edward quipped, following Bella out of the kitchen.

Upon entering the living room, Bella settled onto the welcoming couch, Melanie jumped onto her lap, handing a well-worn book to her mother. Bella kissed her head, hugging her daughter close, before looking up at Edward. She motioned for him to join them on the couch and, opening to the bookmarked page, Bella began to read.

At once, Edward understood why Melanie loved reading with Bella. She was captivating; her love for the work could be felt in her voice. She gave each character their own unique voice and held the child close during the 'scary parts'. After three chapters, Bella having acquiesced to the "one more Mommy" plea, Melanie gave Edward a hug goodnight and followed Bella up the stairs. Edward waited on the couch, while Bella changed Melanie into her pajamas and tucked her into bed.

Returning downstairs, Bella rejoined Edward on the couch. Instead of watching a movie, they began to talk.

Bella ran a hand through her hair, sighing in exhaustion. "Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing. Half the time, I just make things up as I go along."

"Bella, you're doing a wonderful job. Melanie is growing into a wonderful girl, just like you," Edward replied, wrapping an arm around her.

Bella snuggled into him, her exhaustion outweighing her worries. "Edward," she mumbled sleepily. "Why did you want to go out with me?"

Edward pushed her away, successfully jolting her back into reality.

"Bella, how can you even ask me that? You are an amazingly kind, caring, and beautiful person, inside and out. And if you can't see that, then you are not the woman I asked out."

Bella blushed. "While I'm flattered that that's how you see me, that wasn't why I asked. Why do you want to date _me_? You know I'm a single mom, it's not exactly something a young, good-looking man like you would normally do. So, why? Why are you being so nice to me, so nice to Mel?"

Edward felt himself start to get angry. "I don't know what kind of man you think I am, Bella. But believe it or not, I asked you out because I genuinely like you. You're a forever kind of girl, Bella. The kind of girl you bring home to your parents, the kind of girl you marry. And no matter how many kids you have running around this place, I want to get to know you because that's the kind of girl you are—you will be someone's forever, not someone's one-night-stand."

Bella flushed a deeper shade of red, "I didn't know you saw me that way."

"I don't think anyone can not see you that way, Bella."

"Tell that to the guys who've ran out of here."

"Their loss, I'm not planning to make the same mistakes."

After that, the conversation became lighter. They were flirting and just speaking about sweet nothings, the way new couples do. Bella's eyes began to close as the night grew later. Seeing this, Edward realized that it was time to end the night.

"Well," he said, struggling to his feet, "I think it's time I head home."

"Are you sure?" Bella asked, unable to suppress a yawn.

"I'm sure," Edward replied with a chuckle. "But I had a wonderful time tonight, thank you."

Bella stood up then and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," she whispered.

She walked Edward to the front door and held it open. "Promise you'll call," she said questioningly.

"I promise," Edward vowed, hesitating at the door.

Deciding to throw caution to the wind, he whirled around and caught her surprised lips in a long, chaste kiss. It was sweet and innocent, but full of promise. He could feel her lips curve into a smile as she kissed him back, before pulling away.

"Good night, Edward," she spoke shyly, touching her lips with her hand.

"Good night, Bella," he replied.

**So, what do you think? I promise there will be more to this relationship than it seems right now! Please review!**


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